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Individual differences in everyday multitasking behavior and its relation to cognition and personality. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:655-685. [PMID: 35788902 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01700-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Our ability to multitask-focus on multiple tasks simultaneously-is one of the most critical functions of our cognitive system. This capability has shown to have relations to cognition and personality in empirical studies, which have received much attention recently. This review article integrates the available findings to examine how individual differences in multitasking behavior are linked with different cognitive constructs and personality traits to conceptualize what multitasking behavior represents. In this review, we highlight the methodological differences and theoretical conceptions. Cognitive constructs including executive functions (i.e., shifting, updating, and inhibition), working memory, relational integration, divided attention, reasoning, and prospective memory were investigated. Concerning personality, the traits of polychronicity, impulsivity, and the five-factor model were considered. A total of 43 studies met the inclusion criteria and entered the review. The research synthesis directs us to propose two new conceptual models to explain multitasking behavior as a psychometric construct. The first model demonstrates that individual differences in multitasking behavior can be explained by cognitive abilities. The second model proposes that personality traits constitute a moderating effect on the relation between multitasking behavior and cognition. Finally, we provide possible future directions for the line of research.
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Kong F, Meng S, Deng H, Wang M, Sun X. Cognitive Control in Adolescents and Young Adults with Media Multitasking Experience: a Three-Level Meta-analysis. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10648-023-09746-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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Butt N, Warraich NF. Examining the predictors of multitasking information behavior among library and information science professionals in Pakistan. INFORMATION DISCOVERY AND DELIVERY 2023. [DOI: 10.1108/idd-03-2021-0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose
The multitasking phenomenon has been prevailing in the technology-driven information environment. People are engaged in multitasking to process information and deal with personal and professional information tasks. This study aims to explore the external predictors of multitasking information behavior (MIB) of library and information science (LIS) professionals from Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a quantitative study based on a questionnaire survey, and data was collected through Google Form; the link was shared via e-mail and WhatsApp to get maximum responses. The sampling includes the LIS professionals working in Higher Education Commission-recognized universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. A total of 126 responses were received from 41 universities of KPK.
Findings
Pearson correlation and regression were applied by using SPSS for data analysis. The findings revealed that time pressure (TP) is a good predictor of multitasking because when professionals got tasks with deadlines, they try to perform multiple activities at a time. Therefore, TP is a predictor of human MIB. This study also revealed that the work environment is a less significant predictor of MIB, and the use of multiple information resources is a weak predictor of MIB. It is noted that individual covariates were not predictors of the multitasking information. However, TP was the most significant predictor among all the contextual and individual factors predicting MIB.
Research limitations/implications
This research line is significant because MIB is a new dimension of human information behavior among LIS professionals. The findings are beneficial for LIS professionals to increase their work productivity and performance by rationalizing the significant predictors.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such study is available that highlighted the MIB among LIS professionals. Therefore, this study will highlight external factors’ effects on LIS professionals’ MIB. This study will contribute to the literature on libraries and information management as this study describes the LIS professionals’ behavior.
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Heitmayer M. Patterns of multi-device use with the smartphone. A video-ethnographic study of young adults’ multi-device use with smartphones in naturally occurring contexts. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Sharifi Bastan F, Spada MM, Khosravani V, Samimi Ardestani SM. The independent contribution of desire thinking to problematic social media use. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 42:1-10. [PMID: 35540371 PMCID: PMC9074841 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03158-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated the role of desire thinking in problematic social media use (PSMU) whilst accounting for negative affect, impulsivity, and thought suppression. A sample of individuals with PSMU (n = 350) who used social media at least 8 h daily was recruited. Participants completed measures of negative affect, impulsivity, thought suppression, craving, desire thinking, and PSMU. Results indicated that negative affect, impulsivity, and thought suppression had significant indirect effects on craving and PSMU through the significant mediating role of desire thinking. The present study shows that desire thinking is an underlying mechanism linking established variables associated with PSMU (negative affect, impulsivity, and thought suppression) to craving and PSMU. Focusing efforts on the interruption of desire thinking may be beneficial to support individuals in disengaging from PSMU.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcantonio M. Spada
- Division of Psychology, School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Vahid Khosravani
- Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Mehdi Samimi Ardestani
- Departments of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Alho K, Moisala M, Salmela-Aro K. Effects of Media Multitasking and Video Gaming on Cognitive Functions and Their Neural Bases in Adolescents and Young Adults. EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract. The increasing use of digital technology among adolescents and young adults has led to concerns about possible detrimental effects on cognitive and brain functions. Indeed, as reviewed here, according to behavioral and brain-imaging studies, excessive media multitasking (i.e., using different digital media in parallel) may lead to enhanced distractibility and problems in maintaining attention. However, frequent video gaming may be beneficial for the development of working memory, task switching, and attention skills. All these cognitive skills depend on executive cognitive functions. Still scant but gradually cumulating brain-imaging results suggest that the negative effects of frequent media multitasking and the positive effects of frequent video gaming on cognitive skills in adolescents and young adults are mediated by effects on the frontal lobes, implicated in executive cognitive functions and still developing even through early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimmo Alho
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Finland
| | - Mona Moisala
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Bragg R, Redifer JL. Input modality pairings influence dual task costs, but not cognitive load. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2055044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Bragg
- Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
| | - Jenni L. Redifer
- Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
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Lopez JJ, Orr JM. Effects of media multitasking frequency on a novel volitional multitasking paradigm. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12603. [PMID: 35127277 PMCID: PMC8801180 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The effect of media multitasking (e.g., listening to podcasts while studying) on cognitive processes has seen mixed results thus far. To date, the tasks used in the literature to study this phenomenon have been classical paradigms primarily used to examine processes such as working memory. While perfectly valid on their own, these paradigms do not approximate a real-world volitional multitasking environment. To remedy this, as well as attempt to further validate previously found effects in the literature, we designed a novel experimental framework that mimics a desktop computer environment where a "popup" associated with a secondary task would occasionally appear. Participants could choose to attend to the popup, or to ignore it. Attending to the popup would prompt a word stem completion task, while ignoring it would continue the primary math problem verification task. We predicted that individuals who are more impulsive, more frequent media multitaskers, and individuals who prefer to multitask (quantified with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, a modified version of the Media Use Questionnaire, and the Multitasking Preference Inventory) would be more distracted by popups, choose to switch tasks more often and more quickly, and be slower to return to the primary task compared to those who media multitask to a lesser degree. We found that as individuals media multitask to a greater extent, they are slower to return to the previous (primary) task set and are slower to complete the primary task overall whether a popup was present or not, among other task performance measures. We found a similar pattern of effects within individuals who prefer to multitask. Our findings suggest that overall, more frequent media multitaskers show a marginal decrease in task performance, as do preferential multitaskers. Attentional impulsivity was not found to influence any task performance measures, but was positively related to a preference for multitasking. While our findings may lack generalizability due to the modifications to the Media Use Questionnaire, and this initial study is statically underpowered, this paradigm is a crucial first step in establishing a more ecologically valid method to study real-world multitasking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus J. Lopez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
| | - Joseph M. Orr
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America,Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
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Cardoso-Leite P, Buchard A, Tissieres I, Mussack D, Bavelier D. Media use, attention, mental health and academic performance among 8 to 12 year old children. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259163. [PMID: 34788306 PMCID: PMC8598050 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise in digital media consumption, especially among children, raises the societal question of its impact on cognition, mental health and academic achievement. Here, we investigate three different ways of measuring technology use--total hours of media consumed, hours of video game play and number of media used concurrently--in 118 eight-to-twelve year-old children. At stake is the question of whether different technology uses have different effects, which could explain some of the past mixed findings. We collected data about children's media uses as well as (i) attentional and behavioral control abilities, (ii) psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and sleep, and (iii) academic achievement and motivation. While attentional control abilities were assessed using both cognitive tests and questionnaires, mental health and sleep were all questionnaire-based. Finally, academic performance was based on self-reported grades, with motivational variables being measured through the grit and the growth-mindset questionnaires. We present partial correlation analyses and construct a psychological network to assess the structural associations between different forms of media consumption and the three categories of measures. We observe that children consume large amounts of media and media multitask substantially. Partial correlation analyses show that media multitasking specifically was mostly correlated with negative mental health, while playing video games was associated with faster responding and better mental health. No significant partial correlations were observed for total hours on media. Psychological network analysis complement these first results by indicating that all three ways of consuming technology are only indirectly related to self-reported grades. Thus, technology uses appear to only indirectly relate to academic performance, while more directly affecting mental health. This work emphasizes the need to differentiate among technology uses if one is to understand how every day digital consumption impacts human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Cardoso-Leite
- University of Luxembourg, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Science, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Albert Buchard
- Université de Genève, Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de l’Education (FPSE), Geneva, Switzerland
- Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Isabel Tissieres
- Université de Genève, Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de l’Education (FPSE), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dominic Mussack
- University of Luxembourg, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Science, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Daphne Bavelier
- Université de Genève, Faculté de Psychologie et Sciences de l’Education (FPSE), Geneva, Switzerland
- Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland
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Decision-making, cognitive functions, impulsivity, and media multitasking expectancies in high versus low media multitaskers. Cogn Process 2021; 22:593-607. [PMID: 34047893 PMCID: PMC8547206 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01029-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In several studies, individuals who reported to frequently multitask with different media displayed reduced cognitive performance, for example in fluid intelligence and executive functioning. These cognitive functions are relevant for making advantageous decisions under both objective risk (requiring reflection and strategical planning) and ambiguous risk (requiring learning from feedback). Thus, compared to low media multitaskers (LMMs), high media multitaskers (HMMs) may perform worse in both types of decision situations. The current study investigated HMMs and LMMs in a laboratory setting with the Game of Dice Task (GDT; objective risk), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; ambiguous risk), various tests quantifying cognitive functions (logical reasoning, working memory, information processing, general executive functions), and self-report measures of impulsivity, media multitasking expectancies, and problematic Internet use. From 182 participants, 25 HMMs and 19 LMMs were identified using the Media Multitasking Index. Results show that HMMs compared to LMMs performed weaker on the IGT but not on the GDT. Furthermore, HMMs had slightly decreased performance in tests of logical reasoning and working memory capacity. HMMs tended to increased information processing speed but this difference was not significant. Furthermore, HMMs have more positive expectancies regarding media multitasking and reported higher tendencies toward problematic Internet use. HMMs and LMMs did not differ significantly with respect to impulsivity and executive functions. The results give a first hint that HMMs may have difficulties in decision-making under ambiguous but not under objective risk. HMMs may be more prone to errors in tasks that require feedback processing. However, HMMs appear not to be impaired in aspects of long-term strategic decision-making.
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Murphy K, Creux O. Examining the association between media multitasking, and performance on working memory and inhibition tasks. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Park MO. The Relationship between Single Task, Dual Task Performance and Impulsiveness Personality Traits of Young Adults in the Community. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8040470. [PMID: 33182423 PMCID: PMC7711935 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8040470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single, dual task performance and impulsiveness personality traits of young adults in the community. (2) Methods: As a cross-sectional study, the Korean version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11-Revised test, which is an impulsiveness indicator test tool, was conducted on a total of 62 healthy young adults in the community. In order to assess the task performance ability, single task, motor dual task, and cognitive-motor dual task of Timed up and go (TUG) test were conducted. (3) Results: In order to identify the mean difference of the three types of TUG task performance according to the total score of impulsiveness test of all subjects, one-way ANOVA analysis was performed. As a result, there was no statistically significant difference by each task type. Upon investigating the correlation between the three subtypes (cognitive impulsiveness, motor impulsiveness, non-planned impulsiveness) of impulsiveness and total score and TUG task performance, cognitive impulsiveness and TUG-cognitive task performance showed statistically significant correlation. (4) Conclusions: There was an association with the degree of cognitive impulsiveness when performing motor task and cognitive task simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myoung-Ok Park
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Division of Health Science, Baekseok University, Cheonan 31065, Korea
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Shin M, Linke A, Kemps E. Moderate amounts of media multitasking are associated with optimal task performance and minimal mind wandering. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Does multitasking in the classroom affect learning outcomes? A naturalistic study. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Positive associations between media multitasking and creativity. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2020.100015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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